Nnedi Okorafor’s The Book of Phoenix is a delightful novel. The novel follows the titular character, Phoenix, a woman imprisoned in a city tower along with a number of other subjects, all with their own unique abilities, all dangerous, and all carefully guarded. One of the novel’s many strengths is the storytelling style of the author: it stands out because of a unique voice, and the narrative style of the author. The manner in which the story is told is just one aspect of this novel though, and it has many more features to recommend it: a strong and sympathetic main character, an interesting world, and the subject matter itself which raises parallels with events in history while at the same time posing questions about our own society and the future of the human race.

At its heart, though, this is a fantastic story – a unique, absorbing tale of sorrow and struggle, wonderfully crafted, and beautifully told.

Daniel Polansky’s Tomorrow the Killing is the second in his Low Town series. If you’ve read The Straight Razor Cure then you probably have a fair idea of what to expect: violence, foul language, grim settings, and an anti-hero who is almost but not completely beyond sympathy.

The novel is a step up from its predecessor, and Warden is this time out for something approaching justice (by his own warped standards). There’s more depth to the characters here, and a few journeys into the protagonist’s rather chequered past that, I thought, added to my understanding of his cynical worldview. There are elements of a caper or con to the story as Warden schemes to set various groups against each other, with the added dose of government security services breathing down his neck. It wasn’t an espionage novel nor a con/caper, but the combination worked to divert attention from the increasingly dark activities of the protagonist.

The novel is not without its flaws. The protagonist has few (if any) redeeming qualities, the novel is unceasingly bleak, and there are strange turns of phrase here and there throughout the book. I couldn’t tell whether these odd phrasings were intentional or not, but they were irritating and broke up the narrative several times. They read almost like the work of someone writing in a second language. The use of profanity, while no doubt required in places, felt off, as though the author decided to raise the stakes by breaking out the worst words he could fine. Unlike Joe Abercrombie’s earlier works, here it felt forced and stilted; out of place.

The novel is not for the faint of heart, but if you like your grimdark really dark and bleak, and are looking for a no-holds-barred journey into darkness, then Tomorrow the Killing might be right up your street.

Django Wexler’s The Thousand Names follows a ragtag group of soldiers stranded in a desert outpost as reinforcements and a new commander arrive from their distant home. Charged with retaking a city and restoring a prince to his throne, the soldiers embark on a journey across the desert, despite being vastly outnumbered and woefully untrained. In a change from most Fantasy, the novel is set in an era where the military have advanced beyond swords and catapults and have progressed to muskets and cannons.

The central characters are interesting, and I soon found myself rooting for them and the protagonist in particular. There’s an interesting story, a well-developed world, and the adventure unfolds nicely over the course of the novel. The Thousand Names is the first in a series by the author, and it’s a really good start. If you’re looking for a Fantasy adventure in an atypical setting then The Thousand Names is a good place to start.

Thaddeus White’s comedic Fantasy The Adventures of Sir Edric contains two stories: Sir Edric’s Temple and the sequel, Sir Edric’s Treasure. The first tale introduces us to Sir Edric, reputedly a hero, as his king despatches him on an apparently suicidal mission. Accompanied by Dog, his alarmingly capable manservant, and an elven sorceress sent by king to prevent him running away, Sir Edric bumbles from one bad decision to the next while somehow surviving by luck, blind chance, and more than a little help from his companions. The story is entertaining, full of surreal humour, is a rip-roaring adventure. Sir Edric’s rather forthright views on women, elves, and running away from battle paint a vivid picture of the protagonist, and Sir Edric has enough redeeming features to keep him interesting and the reader rooting for his success.

Sir Edric’s Treasure follows on from its predecessor, and although it is still entertaining and humourous, it felt a little forced as though the author was simply running through the motions and following the standard quest plot. It is, despite this, an entertaining read, but I felt it didn’t quite build on the first story as much as I would have liked. It seemed a little formulaic in places, but the humour was enough to keep me engaged, and overall this was a very enjoyable read.

If you are looking for an entertaining comedy then The Adventures of Sir Edric is a great choice, and well worth reading.

Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven is a beautifully written tale of a troupe of performers surviving in a post-apocalyptic North America. The novel won the 2015 Arthur C. Clarke award, and the writing is breathtaking, the prose of a true artist.

Station Eleven is not only superbly written, but also boasts an intriguing plot, vivid characters and a carefully woven story, complete with nice little plot device of a graphic novel that is dear to one of the main characters. The kindle version also features several pleasant images of what the comic might look like at the end of the book.

And yet, despite all that, I felt that there were weaknesses within the novel. The most notable, for me, was the beginning. The novel opens with a performance of King Lear that takes up the opening few pages. I felt, while reading it, that there was surely something different in the performance that set it aside from the genuine play – a character that was different, some line of diagloue subtly altered – something that would hint at the novel’s direction, an indicator of what was different in the novel’s world as compared to the real world. Those familiar with King Lear might well notice the discrepancy (it is explained in the acknowledgements after the novel) but for those like me who are unfamiliar with the play, the opening was a put-off. It felt a little as if the book wasn’t intended for me – that if I didn’t know Lear inside out I really shouldn’t be reading the book in the first place (I doubt that was the author’s intention, but the thought did occur to me). I nearly stopped reading, but the writing was eloquent enough that I continued, and on balance I am pleased I did.

While I enjoyed the novel, the other great problem for me was the lack of pace. True, it was beautifully written and carefully crafted, yet for someone who reads a lot of Science Fiction and Fantasy, the novel seemed to suffer from a lack of pace. The novel flowed smoothly, but when I finished reading I was left with the sensation that, despite the beautiful prose, not a lot had actually happened. Of course, it wasn’t the kind of action-filled tale of George R. R. Martin or bload-soaked invective-filled story of Joe Abercrombie, but at times I felt the story progressed just a little too slowly. It could have been leaner, but in doing so the novel might have lost the very prose that made it so sumptuous.

Part of my view is likely due to a misconception as to the book’s genre: I approached it thinking it a Science Fiction novel, whereas in truth it is perhaps better construed as literary fiction with a Science Fiction setting. Regardless of that, the novel was extremely enjoyable and if you’re looking for a change of pace after reading the latest action-packed Space Opera, or just want to read something beautifully written, then I would recommend it. Take your time and savour it, immerse yourself in the world of the Travelling Symphony.